Some financially struggling school districts have chosen to cut their physical education programs to save money. But new studies suggest that being physically fit doesn’t just make children healthier; it actually helps them learn more. What do you think?

Children who are physically fit absorb and retain new information more effectively than children who are out of shape, a new study finds, raising timely questions about the wisdom of slashing physical education programs at schools.

Parents and exercise scientists (who, not infrequently, are the same people) have known for a long time that physical activity helps young people to settle and pay attention in school or at home, with salutary effects on academic performance. A representative study, presented in May at the American College of Sports Medicine, found that fourth- and fifth-grade students who ran around and otherwise exercised vigorously for at least 10 minutes before a math test scored higher than children who had sat quietly before the exam.

More generally, in a large-scale study of almost 12,000 Nebraska schoolchildren published in August in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers compiled each child’s physical fitness, as measured by a timed run, body mass index and academic achievement in English and math, based on the state’s standardized test scores. Better fitness proved to be linked to significantly higher achievement scores, while, interestingly, body size had almost no role. Students who were overweight but relatively fit had higher test scores than lighter, less-fit children.

Students: Tell us …

How often do you take physical education classes in your school? Do you exercise regularly during gym class? Was your experience similar when you were younger?

Do you think gym classes help students perform better in all their subjects? Has gym class helped you do better in school?

Do the general findings in the studies discussed in the article mesh with your own personal experience — that doing physical activity helps your brain perform better?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Gym to me is a pointless class but at the same time it not. The reason i stated it pointless because i feel like it middle school work and gym not really helping anything. But then i feel gym is also good to keep us in shaped and help us not gain weight so gym is kinda of imporant to me.

Personally, I don’t think gym helps all students perform better in all their classes. Let’s say for example, a student has gym first thing in the morning, and they have band class right after, the student will be out of breath and unable to play their instrument properly. Not to mention that after you’re done exercising, you’re tired and I think that makes it harder to concentrate.

In some ways I do believe gym can help students perform better in class. The reason being is because when your in gym, and your exercising, you are using concentration skills and focusing on your task. These are the same things you do when doing an assignment or reading a book! Besides, gym gets your brain functioning because of the activities you may be doing while in gym. So yes, I do believe gym is a way to help students perform better in classes.

In my opinion, I believe that gym does help students perform better in school. I say this because when students get to play in gym, they are able to get all the access energy out before going to class where they needed to be seated and pay attention to the instructor and the lesson that is being taught.

I believe gym makes students tired and make them not perform well in their classes. I believe students should actually work in their classes, but I also think students need gym to stay active.I feel students need gym but at the same time I don’t.

I do believe that gym classes do help student’s brian perform better. It helps wakes them up and get them energized. they are able to stay focused longer and concentrate on the task at hand. Gym is fun and keeps the students healthy. I

physical education standards, which results in all students, including those with disabilities, developing the knowledge, skills, and confidence Intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong.” – John F. Kennedy physical education programs designed to provide students with knowledge and ability needed to maintain active, healthy lifestyles.

When I was younger we had physical education but only once a week, so I don’t really know from experience, but any time the cut elective classes the student suffer. student loose self expression and gym the loose physical activity for the wee when they cut it and that when childhood obesity important issue with the nation why would you cut physical activity from a place where children spend the majority of there time.

I only took one physical education class while in highschool. When i was younger gym class was really fun, we palyed games and mostly ran around. Gym class now is more focus on sports. I learned how to play volly ball, soccer, and other physical endering sports.

Physical education wasn’t my favorite class in the ninth grade. I was always tired after it amd was ready to go home. I do think gym will help you in school more because your brain is alert and ready to learn new things.

I don’t belief that physical education would benefit a person academically because you can be really good at sports and fitness but [be bad] as a student. That’s why we have scholarships for people who excell in sports rather than academics.

I honestly believe that gym doesn’t help students perform better in their classes. I have seen people only pass their gym class because they were athletes and good at what they did. Gym is only convenient for those who enjoy it and the mass majority of teenagers of our era do not. I don’t like gym.

I think that gym is a class necessity in high school. Besides lunch, gym is a class in which you can relax, gather yourself and get some exercise. That is much needed by students who are stressing themselves.

At my school gym is only required for a year. An in that year It didn’t help me in anyway.I was like a class to to show me the basic of which i already knew on working out.In a sense don’t think gym is needed however health course and biology classes that teaches you about the body and how you work are more helpful and relevant to think for like.. I feel as if me running around wont help me get a 36 on my act.

after my 9th grade my physical education in school ended.i strongly believe that physical activity makes the blood in your body flow in just the right way so that you mind and body become more in tuned and alert, resulting in an overall better person and student.

i do think that gym helps students in school because it helps get students active in school. it can energize your body and help you be more suffient in your academics. gym is also required to graduate from highschool.

I think that if the class is put in the right place on the schedule gym class can help students perform better in other classes. I say that because sometimes students need that active time so they can either build up their energy or calm down when they’re too hyper for a regular class. Gym has its benefits if it is during the middle of the day, like either before or after lunch.